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MD: Md. urges more U.S. aid

By Laura Smitherman, The Sun (Baltimore)

BALTIMORE -- Even as the fiscal picture in Maryland brightens, Gov. Martin O'Malley called on the federal government Wednesday to provide more help to states that are laboring to keep their budgets balanced. (Also see: US: Second stimulus? US House passes $154 billion jobs bill ) Read More

US: Rail stimulus funds to bypass Northeast

By Alan Wirzbicki, The Boston Globe

WASHINGTON -- The railroad tracks from Boston to Washington -- the busiest rail artery in the nation, and one that also carries America's only high-speed train, the Acela -- have been virtually shut out of $8 billion worth of federal stimulus money set aside for high-speed rail projects because of a strict environmental review required by the Obama administration. Read More

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RECENT STATELINE.ORG STORIES


	SC: House panel kills Sanford impeachment plan Gov. Mark Sanford will not be removed from office, as a House committee decided Wednesday to reprimand - and not impeach - the governor.
	KY: Governor Beshear orders that state employees can't text, drive Gov. Steve Beshear issued an executive order Wednesday prohibiting state employees from text messaging while driving state vehicles.
	MA: Massachusetts antismoking plan gets attention BOSTON — When Massachusetts began offering virtually free treatments to help poor residents of the state stop smoking in 2006, proponents hoped the new Medicaid program would someday reap benefits. But state officials never expected it would happen so soon.
	AZ: AZ ranked low in emergency health preparedness Arizona is one of the countrys seven worst states in emergency health preparedness, a new report says.
	MI: 776,000 in state may get insurance, study shows As the Senate debates landmark health insurance reforms, an advocacy organization released a report Wednesday saying 776,000 Michigan residents will gain coverage by 2019 if Congress approves the changes.
	IA: Culver tells state to enact 39 money-saving ideas Iowa will dodge some of the most painful budget cuts that threaten state government next year by implementing deep saving proposals, Gov. Chet Culver said Wednesday as he ordered state departments to follow ideas proposed by a private consultant.
	NY: M.T.A. approves big service cuts in mass transit The Metropolitan Transportation Authority approved a punishing slate of service cuts on Wednesday that would amount to the most significant erosion of New York Citys transit system since its recovery from the ruinous days of the 1980s.
	PA: Pa. table-games issue still unresolved The long-disputed table-games bill may have to wait until January. Legislation to allow poker, roulette, and other games at Pennsylvania casinos fell victim last night to one more round of disagreement between the Democratic-controlled state House and the Republican-controlled Senate.
	TX: Texas advocate seeks ban on insurers' blanket clauses The states insurance consumer advocate is seeking to eliminate the blanket authority of health and disability insurers to decide what their policies cover, a shift that could have a major impact on health insurance in Texas.
	MA: State tax revenue on the rebound, officials now say State tax revenues appear to be bouncing back and will begin to grow next year, providing a long-awaited glimmer of good news after two years of falling tax collections, according to state officials and economic specialists.
	RI: R.I. Senate leaders say tax increases are possible Calling the magnitude of the local-aid cuts in Governor Carcieris deficit-elimination plan an extraordinary disappointment, Senate Democratic leaders on Wednesday said they cannot rule out tax increases as an alternative.
	US: GOP's global warming rumble -- Sarah Palin v. Arnold Schwarzenegger The Sarah Palin-Arnold Schwarzenegger clash over climate change pits two Republican stalwarts in a tiff that brings to the fore the divisions within the GOP on environmental policy and global warming.
	US: H1N1 flu vaccines now plentiful in half of states ATLANTA — After weeks of shortages, swine flu shots are plentiful enough that nearly half the states now say everyone can get it, not just people in high-risk groups.


	Casino on Long Island, table games in Pa.? TODAYS TAKE: Long after the recession ends, one of its most visible legacies is likely to be more places -- and ways -- for Americans to gamble.
	Nightmare scenarios haunt states One question keeps coming up as governors and legislators grapple with a seemingly never-ending stream of gloomy budget news that keeps getting worse: How bad can it get? The answer, according to experts and a look through history, is probably that it could get worse than it has been in a generation — maybe even a lifetime — but not catastrophic.
	Locals take losses in state budget cuts TODAYS TAKE: The trickle-down effect of state budget problems is on display this week in New York and Rhode Island, where governors announced plans to cut aid to localities.
	Will states budget for a second stimulus? TODAYS TAKE: Maine Gov. John Baldacci (D) this week will submit a budget proposal that assumes Congress will pass additional stimulus measures, according to Maines Capitol News Service.
	Weekly wrap: States, locals have spent a quarter of stimulus funds A new federal report shows states and localities spent a quarter of their federal stimulus dollars. A budget-cutting to release prisoners in Oregon questioned. And credit-rating agencies draw harsh criticism from states but may escape new federal regulations.
	Economist Mark Zandi: On stimulus, jobs, state finances, inflation and the year ahead A leading economist agrees with President Obamas plea for additional money to help financially strapped state governments.
	State budgets: $28 billion short this year TODAYS TAKE: Thirty-six states face budget shortfalls totaling $28 billion in the fiscal year that began just five months ago, according to a new 50-state report. The assessment predicts another $56 billion in shortfalls across 35 states next fiscal year and $69 billion in shortfalls across 23 states the year after that.
	What Obama jobs plan may look like TODAYS TAKE: President Obama on Tuesday (Dec. 8) outlined what The Wall Street Journal called "an expansion of his $787 billion stimulus plan," but the speech left many details -- including the cost and timing of his proposals -- up in the air.
	States await Obama jobs plan TODAYS TAKE: State officials are eagerly awaiting a federal job-creation initiative to be outlined by President Obama today (Dec. 8). They hope it will include extended unemployment benefits, infrastructure money and other aid for their battered states.
	Highway money on states' radar TODAYS TAKE: States are hoping that a job-creating initiative to be outlined by President Obama on Tuesday (Dec. 8) will include billions of dollars for "ready-to-go" infrastructure projects. Meanwhile, recession-worn Michigan may be ineligible for $475 million in federal highway money because it cannot find $84 million in matching state funds.
	Weekly wrap: Taxpayers in 29 states hit with hikes A new report shows 29 states raised taxes or fees this year, generating an estimated $23.9 billion. Meanwhile, projections released this week show Arizona and Iowa headed on very different paths to economic recovery. And the upcoming Republican primary for Texas governor could be seen as a gift for the Democratic Party.
	Democratic govs try to put '09 behind them TODAYS TAKE: A trio of Democratic governors outlined what they called their opening shot of the 2010 gubernatorial election season -- in which 37 governors seats will be contested -- and said they saw no national omens in last months Democratic losses in New Jersey and Virginia.
	After furloughs, states mull permanent cuts The protracted fiscal crisis is forcing states to shrink their bureaucracies to match revenues. Some are seizing the opportunity to make government more efficient.

DAILY STATE NEWS

WA: State lawmakers to seek ban on sales of semi-automatic weapons
In response to recent shooting deaths, three state lawmakers say they want to ban the sale of military-style semi-automatic weapons in Washington. The lawmakers intend to propose the ban in the state legislative session that begins next month.
The Seattle Times
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FL: State Farm will stay, Florida insurance regulators say
State Farm has cut a deal with Florida regulators, reversing its plan to pull entirely out of the state's hurricane-prone property insurance market. Instead, the state's largest private homeowners insurer will drop 15 percent of that business, about 125,000 policies, and raise rates for the rest by 14.8 percent.
St. Petersburg Times
Read More

CT: Joe Lieberman 'out of tune' with Connecticut, but few complain
There is an irony in Sen. Joseph Lieberman's stalwart opposition to any form of a healthcare public option: The state he represents, Connecticut, approved a statewide public health insurance system with a public option this year.
The Christian Science Monitor
Read More

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